


The Marauder's Code

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Humor, Marauders, Marauders' Era, One Shot, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-24
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-03-14 22:39:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,615
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3428141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Not only was Sirius encroaching on her personal space, but he was very obviously breaking the single set of rules that he and his band of misfits actually seemed to follow: The Marauder’s Code. Honestly, wasn’t refraining from putting your hands all over your best mate’s girlfriend at the top of the list?” or, Sirius gets a little too close for comfort and Lily is really fucking confused by it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Marauder's Code

Lily wasn’t quite sure if she was imagining it, but Sirius had been getting significantly more… touchy feely as of late. He’d place his hand on her should whenever he would reach for the marmalade, or he’d tug on a strand of her hair while telling a crass joke about Professor Binns, or he’d wrap his hand around her waist at random intervals on the way to class, jumping into a winding tale about his last mission into the kitchens past curfew. Lily knew when she’d finally agreed to date James at the start of this year that she would inevitably become closer with Sirius as well, but this was almost _too_ close.

It was on one cold, dreary day in November, when the wind slapped like loud footsteps against the windows and a light dusting of frost covered the somber ground that Lily finally snapped. Her Herbology class had been assigned to uproot baby mandrakes outside in the cold winter air, and _of course_ she had decided on that particular day to forget her mittens in the bottom of her laundry hamper.

So when she stomped up to the Gryffindor common room and stuck her hands in front of the fireplace, only to find them enveloped by Sirius’s thin, nimble fingers a moment later, Lily had had enough. Yanking her hands away from Sirius, Lily stumbled to her feet, nostrils flared and feet spread flat on the floor.

“What the _hell_ —“ she started to yell, but at Sirius’s quick glance around the room she quickly dropped her voice to a fiery whisper. “What the bloody hell do you think you’re doing?” At this, Sirius’s trademark smirk curled across his lips and he folded his legs over the side of the couch cushion in a manner that simply screamed “pompous ass.” He raised his eyebrows at her innocently and grinned.

“I have no idea what you’re referring to, Evans.”

“You know exactly what I mean!” Lily hissed, raising her hands up as if she was overcome by the sudden urge to strangle him. Her hands started to shake. “Why do you keep touching me?”

Not only was Sirius encroaching on her personal space, but he was very obviously breaking the single set of rules that he and his band of misfits actually seemed to follow: The Marauder’s Code. Honestly, wasn’t refraining from putting your hands all over your best mate’s girlfriend at the top of the list?

She expected a reply from him, or a small form of recognition at the very least. Instead, Sirius simply directed his gaze around her folded arms, staring at someone in the back, rather drafty corner of the commons.

Lily turned, eyes blazing and violent flames of hair billowing around her shoulders, only to find herself looking at none other than her boyfriend James Potter.

She couldn’t remember when she saw him last, never mind had an actual conversation lasting longer than thirty seconds. The quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor had been just yesterday and James, being the competitive arse that he was, had pushed for practices every single damn night for the past week, much to Lily’s dismay. She could barely get a word in edgewise at dinner before he was grabbing a roll off the table and fleeing to the pitch with nothing but a meager peck on the cheek as goodbye. To say that Lily had been a bit annoyed by it would be an understatement. To say that bitter anger had consumed her would be less so. In fact, Lily was so preoccupied with her growing irritation with James that she almost failed to notice the state that his face was in. Once she did, however, her eyes narrowed in curiosity.

Bright splotches of red adorned James’s cheeks and his entire face just seemed generally flushed. His eyebrows were pushed so far over his eyes that they disappeared under the rim of his glasses and his lips were pulled tight in a rigid scowl. He wasn’t outright looking at the two of them, opting to scribble furiously at his parchment instead, but every so often he would tilt his gaze up and send a sharp glance Sirius’s way. Was he…? Lily knew that look. She had seen it cross his face on many occasions during the past several years, particularly that one time he had found her snuggling with Jerry Springer inside the Three Broomsticks in their fifth year.

She spun back around, her widened eyes meeting Sirius’s amused ones as understanding washed through her. Sirius simply shrugged in response to her imploring look.

“Someone’s got to keep him on his toes, love. Can’t have another repeat of this past week now can we?” This time, Sirius’s smirk was positively devious. Lily’s eyes flitted all over the commons: from Sirius’s challenging gaze to the crackling fire ahead of her to James’s tense fingers curled around a crushed and suffocating quill. When her eyes met Sirius’s again, he full out grinned at the mischievous curl her upper lip had taken. He rose from his chair, striding quickly to where Lily stood a few feet away and placing his hands on her shoulders.

“You sure you’re okay, Evans? You look pretty cold, if I must say so myself.” He raised his voice just a tad, letting it fill out the room and prick the ears of everyone in the vicinity. Lily nodded, rolling her head onto one of his hands, which had crept up her neck while the other had begun to rub soothing circles along the line of her shoulder.

“Yeah,” she groaned out, letting loose a dramatic sigh and smiling at Sirius with hooded eyes. “It’s just, I had Herbology this morning and usually I have James to block the wind for me, but he had an errand to run and I was just so _alone_.” She blinked up at him innocently before letting her smile grow wider. “Thank Merlin I have you here to keep me company.”

Before Sirius could respond, a resounding bang that sounded quite similar to an ink pot being knocked—or flung, rather—to the floor echoed across the room, followed by the muffled scrape of a chair across plush carpeting. Before Lily could even so much as turn her head to the racket, a pair of large, calloused hands wrapped around her waist, yanking her out from under Sirius’s touch and wrapping her in a warm and familiar embrace. She followed the trail of her hands—which had landed with a thud on either side of a loosened Gryffindor tie—up until she found herself staring into James’s hazel gaze.

“Hey,” he said simply, eyeing Sirius over her shoulder before placing his focus back on her. “Sorry I had to run earlier this morning. Were you alright?” his face was still red and heated, but his lips curved into a soft smile and his eyebrows turned down in apology and even at her angriest Lily had always had trouble yelling at him when he had that expression on his face. She smiled tiredly instead, sliding her hands up to rub against his throat. His eyes fluttered as she did so, and Lily’s smile grew.

“Yeah, I was fine. Just cold.” She pouted a little at that, snuggling into his chest for emphasis. James’s mouth dipped in remorse once again but it was quickly chased away by that jarringly kind smirk she had seen spreading across his face more and more often lately: the one that caused the corner of his eyes to crinkle, and made her feel like someone had slipped firewhiskey into her pumpkin juice.

“Well let me warm you up,” he replied before falling backwards onto the couch that Sirius—whom she had nearly forgotten about—had recently vacated and pulling Lily into his lap. Lily squeaked a little in surprise, but nonetheless relaxed into James’s arms as he pulled an afghan over her legs. He gently pushed a couple of strands of red hair off her forehead before directing his eyes towards Sirius.

“Don’t you have that Potions essay to write, mate?” He asked with a pointed look. Sirius just smirked for the infinite time that evening.

“Defense Against the Dark Arts, actually, but yeah. I’ll get to that. Prongs. Evans.” He nodded at each before twisting on his heel and sauntering toward the boys’ dormitory.

“Bye Sirius,” Lily called after him, leaning forward against James’s arms. “And thanks!” He responded with only a wink over his shoulder before disappearing over the winding steps. Settling against James’s back once again, she met his calculating gaze with a lift of her eyebrow.

“This was all a trick, wasn’t it?” James accused, his lips twitching into a smile despite his attempts to school his expression. Lily simply shrugged, grinning impishly and pressing a quick kiss to his cheek in reply. Sighing, James shook his head and let out a short laugh. “You, Evans, are absolutely wild.”

“Oh like you’re one to talk, Potter.” James grinned at that, leaning deeper into the couch cushions and pulling Lily even closer to his chest.

They laid like that for several minutes, the fire crackling in front of them, with James’s lips pressed in her hair and their socked feet tangled together. Eventually Lily felt James whisper,

“I’m really sorry about this morning, Lily.”

“Mhm,” she murmurs sleepily, tucking her head under his chin.

“And about this past week.”

“It’s alright. I just don’t want it to happen again.” She felt him nod in affirmation. They were quiet for a few more moments.

“Are you warm?”

“Quite.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

“Let’s.”

She’d have to thank Sirius again later.


End file.
